Homemade Fried Dough Zeppoles Recipe Without Ricotta (2024)

FAQs

What is zeppole dough made of? ›

In Italy, they are traditionally eaten during the Festa di San Giussepe (the Feast of Saint Joseph), when they are sold in the streets and given as gifts. The version always made in our family includes ricotta, sugar, eggs, flour, baking soda, and vanilla. This version is sometimes also referred to as “sfinge”.

Many traditional zeppole recipes involve adding ricotta to the batter mixture, which is an ingredient never seen in beignets. This is often what makes the batter sticky, so it can be piped or spoon-dropped directly into hot oil for frying, unlike beignets, which are first rolled out and cut into squares.

A New Orleans style beignet tends to look more like a rectangular pillow full of pockets of chewy, airy dough and a zeppole, like the ones you can find nestled next to the sausage & pep stands at every Italian Feast, are more like a deep-fried ball of sweetness.

Zeppole are best consumed within 4 hours of assembling, but all the components can be prepared ahead of time: the pastry cream can be refrigerated up to 3 days and the choux rings can be baked and stored at room temperature for a couple of days (or frozen for longer storage).

Pizza dough fried and sprinkled with sugar while warm make these Zeppole the perfect snack. When I was growing up, periodically my Sicilian mother would make Zeppole. Imagine golden fried pizza dough that puffs up when it hits the hot oil and is abundantly sprinkled with sugar once it's out of the frying pan.

Varieties. The terms zeppole and sfinge are also used to refer to baked cream puffs made from choux pastry. Some zeppole are filled with ricotta mixed with small pieces of chocolate, candied fruits and honey. Zeppole can also be savory, and consist of fried bread dough often filled with anchovy.

: a doughnut made from cream puff dough.

Zeppole (zeppola in the singular) is a traditional doughnut-like fritter that, rather than stuffed, is twisted into a coil and topped with yumminess.

Other cultures have their own names for this crispy/tender treat, including frogs, beaver tails, elephant ears, and pizza fritta (made with yeast). Want to make your own fried dough at home? While most fried dough cooks in deep fat, this easy version uses just 1/4" of vegetable oil: no deep-frying necessary.

One of the theories claims that after St. Joseph fled to Egypt with Mary and Jesus, he started to sell pancakes to provide for his family, therefore, tying sweets and desserts like zeppoles to his name.

What is the difference between zeppole and Sfinge? ›

The zeppola tends to be more or less round and sandwich in the custard, whereas the sfinge is more open and has the cannoli cream placed atop the pastry itself. Here in the Ditmars area, there are two places that make excellent sfinge and zeppoli.

Zeppole is a type of Italian doughnut, but they are not the same as bomboloni. Zeppole is closer to a batter that is spooned into the frying oil, whereas bomboloni is dough shaped ahead of time before going into the oil. Zeppole also uses ricotta cheese which makes them incredibly light.

Zeppole are an Italian pastry similar to Bomboloni and are basically fried donut balls made out of Cream Puff dough. They are very popular during St. Josephs Day in Italy which is also Italian Father's Day.

This Italian fried dough, also known as zeppole or pizza fritta, is an easy dessert that is perfect for casual parties or special occasions!

“If it's sitting out for more than four hours, you should probably not eat it,” said Johnson & Wales' DeMaria. Zeppole should stay fresh in the fridge for at least three to four days. But don't try to freeze them, DeMaria said, because the cream will separate.

Start by sprinkling yeast over warm water to activate, then add flour, sugar, salt, milk, shortening, and eggs to create the dough. Knead the dough until smooth, cover it, and allow it to rise until doubled in size. Roll the dough out to a ½ inch thickness before using a doughnut cutter to create a shape.